5 Paonah(The Fifth Day of the Blessed Month of Baounah)

The Departure of St. James of the East

On this day, St. James of the East (Oriental), the
confessor, departed. He lived and worshipped in one of the monasteries of the
East. He was a contemporary of Emperor Constantine the Great, Julian the
Infidel, and Jovianus the Believer. When the latter was killed, Valens, his
brother, reigned in his stead. He was an arian and he closed the Orthodox
churches and allowed the Arians to open their churches. The grace of God moved
this Saint and he went to the city of Constantinia. He met the Emperor on his
way to war. He stood before the Emperor and said, "I ask you to open the
churches of the believers, that they may pray for you, so may God make you
victorious against your enemies, otherwise God will forsake you and you will be
defeated before your enemies." The Emperor became angry at what St. James said
and commanded to beat and imprison him. The Saint told him; "Know that you shall
be defeated before your enemies, and you shall die by burning." The Emperor
became enraged and ordered to keep him under guard until he should return from
war. The Saint told him, "If you return safely, then God has not spoken by my
mouth."

The Emperor went on to fight his enemies. When the two
armies faced each other, the Lord forsake him, so he was defeated before his
enemies. They pursued him until he came to a certain village to which they set
fire. Its people escaped, but he and some of his men remained and they were
burned. Those of his soldiers who returned to the city of Constantinia told the
believers what had happened. Thus the prophecy of the holy man was fulfilled.
The believers assembled, and brought him out of prison with great honor. The
Arians knew that the divine grace and the spirit of prophecy dwelt in him, as
they believed in the accuracy of his faith. Many turned from their error,
confessing that the Son of God is equal with the Father in essence.

This saint spent the rest of the days of his life in
devotion to the ascetic life, and in fighting the spiritual fight until he
departed in peace.